


No kind words

by ClaraCivry (Kat_Of_Dresden)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Episode s03e06, Extended Scene, Gen, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron)-centric, Lance is feeling dumb and useless, Langst, Sad Lance (Voltron), Scene Expansion, basically what I thought Lance was thinking, feelings of inferiority, so yes very Langsty, when he went to Keith to tell him he was one palladin too many, which he totally isn't!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 20:48:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15826647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_Of_Dresden/pseuds/ClaraCivry
Summary: Scene expansion for s03e06 when Lance goes to Keith to tell him that maybe they don't need him on the team.Lance manages to tell his friend and leader about how he thinks they maybe not need him in Voltron anymore since Shiro is back and he is the weakest link. He hoped for some closure talking with Keith.He hoped too much.





	No kind words

**Author's Note:**

> Title from a song by the Maccabees that is simply amazing

Lance was worried, which wasn't something all that common. Why would he worry? Hunk already worried about everything and everyone and he was there to be the carefree guy who told others not to overthink things. He was the one who thought the least, wasn't he? The dumb one.

And yet, he couldn't stop thinking and rethinking about their new situation. Shiro had come back, which meant that there was six paladins now, and someone was one too many. Shiro would go back to the black lion, Keith to red... and him? Blue probably had decided that she didn't want him anymore that Allura was so much better. And she was, of course, she was a great fit for Voltron and in general much better than him (smarter, better leader, more level headed, just plain stronger and more powerful) so he really couldn't tell her to step down.

Which would mean that he had no place in the team anymore.

Lance sighed.

Part of him had always felt that this was going to happen, sooner or later. The others were just so much better than him, it was odd that they would keep someone like him around for such an important task as saving the universe from an evil empire. No, you needed only the best top-of-the-pops people for that. People who were the whole package: intelligent, good at leading and following, creative, brave, quick learners, interesting, adaptable, resilient.

He was nothing like that. Being good at shooting from a distance was something that probably all of the others could do, and that was all he added to the team. He didn't understand when Pidge and Hunk talked about machines, he never came up with plans and was often told off when he tried to contribute anything, he was too reckless, he... he wasn't good enough.

Of course, this was not his call to make, he couldn't just up and leave or decided he'd stop. He had no place to go deciding things like those – that was up to the leader, a place he couldn't even aspire to. He should probably go and talk to Keith about this, since he was now their leader.

He sighed again.

It wasn't going to be easy. Keith and him weren't always in the same page, and they hadn't had a serious conversation in.... He couldn't even remember when (let's add bad memory to his unending list of flaws). The thing was, it was going to be awkward and uncomfortable and he wished he could have this conversation with anyone else. The silver lining was that if Keith told him that he could still pilot, that he was important for the team... that would mean a lot. Lance longed for Keith's approval, maybe as much as he did Shiro's. He wanted to be valued, respected, needed – something more than the butt of every joke, something more relevant than being just a goofball.

This were the only ends Lance imagined for his dreaded conversation with their leader: a) he was gently “let go” of being a pilot (it was heartbreaking, to have your dream come true and realise you're not worthy of it) or he would be told that he actually had a place in the team, that he houldn't leave.

A clean break or a reassurance. It didn't sound so bad, if you thought about it. And it would clear his head, something he needed if he was to concentrate of saving the universe and whatnot. A clean break or a reassurance.

But Keith gave him neither. He bared all his insecurities about not being the best soldier, about being expendable and not good enough, and felt awfully hollow when he heard the response. Keith didn't hurt him, but he didn't help him either.

He gave him some generic comments about “things figuring themselves out”, “”not concerning himself about who flies what” and in the end, when he was leaving and thought that maybe then he would get some reassuring, he saw Keith smiling and thought maybe this was the moment, maybe Keith had something nice to say about why he didn't want away from the team....

“Leave the math to Pidge.”

Oh. Of course, not only was he the least smart of the group, now anything he thought was stupid and he should leave the thinking to someone else. But it was supposed to be funny, and Keith had made the effort to speak in his language (because he was apparently too dumb for anything other than mean jokes, right?) and Lance smiled back. Smiled at the comment that completely dismissed the worries that had kept him up all night, a comment that basically said your concerns are stupid, you shouldn't have even thought of them.

The moment the door closed behind him, Lance's smile dropped to the floor. He had only wanted some reassurance, a kind word. Hell, Keith didn't need to say that he liked or valued anything Lance did or was, just, I don't know, say that if two lions had accepted him there may be a reason for that, or that he could have a place and a thing by being people's substitute if they got injured or went missing.

But no. Leave the thinking to someone else – your insecurities are stupid, just like all of you. Right, Keith? All of Lance was for his leader was a stupid mass of...stupid

The rest of them got plenty of encouragement and good comments... Nobody made fun of Hunk's fear, or Keith's moodiness, or Allura's tendency to see things in black and white. Why was he free range? Why could everybody make fun of his shortcomings? If he left the thinking to Pidge, and the niceness to Hunk, the leadership to Shiro, the brooding to Keith... What did he have? Just jokes? He was more fond of jokes when he could laugh along with them and wasn't being laughed at.

In the end, everything did work out. Shiro wasn't allowed back in his lion (and Lance felt for him, he truly did. That was an awful experience) and the team remained the same. Maybe Keith had been right, and he should have left the thinking to someone else because his concern wasn't important. Nothing of him ever was anyway.

But...He'd been feeling awful, and he had wanted some comfort from someone that belonged to the team. Just a sentence that confirmed he was a valued team mate, someone significant for them. Now he felt even worse, because he shouldn't even think, as everyone else did it better.

He sighed, again, forever.

Was one kind word too much to ask?

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know it was supposed to be a cute scene, but it broke my heart that Lance didn't get any reassurances, (the scene was so perfect for that guys!!! just a tiny compliment!!! boy is having a hard time!!!) and instead left with a joke but felt almost passive aggressive (I know Keith didn't mean it like that, but still)
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading hope you enjoyed and pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee if you liked, leave some feedback!


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